Local Money, Local Industry, Local Food, Local Everything
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In order to transition successfully to a post-oil age world we must localize everything as much as possible.
While total self-sufficiency is not ever going to be possible – as the American Indians a proof enough for none of their tribes and nations was totally self-sufficient – self-reliance is a different kettle of fish and should be attainable to a high degree.
The Native Americans, the Injuns, traded for things that they could not obtain in their area or make, but wanted, and there will thus be such incidents in such a localized economy of the post-oil society and era.
However, everything must be brought down to a local level, economy and all, including government, which must be really by the people, of the people and for the people, and all this will be as much by necessity of transport being an issue as well as for other reasons.
Local currency, local money
Local currency, local money, whatever form this may take, is one way, as already demonstrated by the Transition Movement in the Transition Towns as well as those that just simply opted for a local currency, of ensuring that money stays in the local economy benefiting local businesses. This can and should be introduced already before the oil is gone.
Once the end of oil has arrived this currency, this local trading unit, will take on a a slightly different role then, as it may be the only “money” available then. Presently such currencies are a complimentary thing and often are exchanged 1:1 with the coin of the realm. Barter, more that likely, though, will really be the primary currency in most economic exchanges after the event.
Local Industry
Simply by necessity production of most good and most services will have to be localized and occur on a local level and predominately, I should think, by hand and small power tools, only, with some trade to and from the outside of the local area.
No area, no village or even town, will ever be entirely self-sufficient in everything and total self-sufficiency is but a dream, and a false one at that. It did not work for the Native Americans, nor for the backwoodsmen nor for monesteries and such like communities.
Nevertheless, by force of necessity I believe that we must manufacture many of our needed goods at home, so to speak, and in some cases literally at home, from furniture to metal goods and everything in between.
Local Food
Local food, grown right where we live and used fresh when in season and as preserved foods, such as dried and canned, in other times, is important now to reduce the emissions associated with food, the so-called food miles and will be more important in the future.
Food security can only be guaranteed if you and I get down – literally – to growing at least some of our own food; the more,, obviously, the better.
The sooner we begin with doing this the more we know about growing our own food when we will have to grow most if not all of it ourselves if we want not to starve.
Thus everything will have to be grown right in our own backyards, or thereabouts locally. We have no other choice than,going local in this as much as in everything else.
The problem with transportation and travel alone will see to that after the event, when gasoline or diesel will be scarce, no longer affordable to the ordinary man and woman in the street or, simply, no longer even available.
It will not do any harm whatsoever, though, if we localized everything, as far as possible, now already while things are still more or less normal. Or are you telling me that things are normal?
© 2010
To learn more about Peak Oil, how it could affect you and what a society post Oil Age might look like get and read the book “The End of Oil”. You can obtain the book via http://the-end-of-oil.blogspot.com/
by Michael Smith (Veshengro) 
